Braided sleeving is utilized in a wide variety of designs and patterns to enshroud enlongated objects to serve many different functions. Such sleeving is readily expanded in girth to facilitate the assembly operation and to accommodate a range of different cross sectional sizes of objects to be enshrouded the sleeving being thereafter contractible into a snug fit with the object. However, the assembly operation is greatly handicapped owing to the need to apply axial compressive forces to the sleeving to expand it while at the same time applying tension to advance it over the object. It is at once apparent that axial compression of the sleeving to expand it involves the need to push the forward end rearwardly while at the same time applying a pulling force to advance it over the object being enshrouded.